Check out this fun cartoon! Learn different ways to say “I’m happy” with these fun English idioms.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Spotlight Interview With Sucheta Rawal of Go Eat Give

I'm very excited to start doing spotlight interviews on community members that make a difference. This time we are putting the spotlight on Sucheta Rawal of Go Give Eat. Sucheta is a philanthropist, actively involved in serving the community,
locally and abroad. She has been involved with a number of
organizations in Atlanta, including Community Consulting Teams, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Southern Center for International Studies and many more. She is on the Board of Directors for Refugee Family Services, a non profit that supports refugee women and children achieve self-sufficiency.

What is Go Eat Give?

Go Eat Give is an Atlanta based nonprofit organization whose mission is
to promote cultural awareness around the world through travel, food &
community service. We organize monthly destination events, cooking classes,
volunteer vacation trips & an award winning blog.

Why do you believe is so crucial for our society to learn about others
people culture, cuisine and traditions?

Learning
about other cultures raises our level of awareness and helps us get rid of
stereotypes. When we travel abroad or interact in the local community, we are
able to form our own opinions, often times realizing that they are very
different than what we formed through second hand experiences (aka news media).
By understanding traditions different from our own, we are able to recognize
each other for who they are as humans, not what their country’s political or
economic policies are. I find that simple things like food and culture can
bring the citizens of the world closer together, creating much needed harmony
& understanding.

You have traveled all around the globe as a volunteer. What has been
the biggest lesson you have learned from all your travels?

I have been to 40 countries across 6 continents, & volunteered in
many of them. The biggest lesson I have personally learned is that people
everywhere (no matter their nationality, color, political beliefs or religions)
are the same when it comes to their basic human nature. They all face similar
challenges in personal lives and have the same expectations for
themselves.

When I spoke to some young college girls in a women's mental hospital
in Russia about why they were there, they said because their mom passed away,
or they had a crush on a married professor. I thought that could happen to me! Living
all the way across in the US, I think and feel no differently as they do.

In other countries from Greece to Nepal, when I have asked random
people, what would make them happy, their responses were very similar. They all
wanted a good job, closeness to family and someone to love. I realized we all
share a common denominator as humans. Now, when I meet someone from a different
culture that I don't necessarily agree with, I tell myself that they may go
about their ways differently, but in the end, they are trying to get to the
same thing - love, security & happiness.

Do you have a new event coming up?

We have monthly Destination events showcasing a different country each
month; international cooking classes offered in an intimate setting; &
volunteer vacation tours combining cultural learning, sightseeing & giving
back to the community.

Readers
can visit www.goeatgive.com to get more information about the events & sign
up for our newsletter.

What
is your greatest source of happiness?

My
sense of happiness comes from making an impact on others & making them feel
that they are important. When I was teaching English at a women’s empowerment
center in Morocco, the women appreciated that I took the time out from my busy
life to travel across the world, spending my own money, to teach them English
so they can better their lives. That made me very proud & happy! When I saw
the smiles on the faces of kids in the orphanages in Russia because I gave them
a hug & played with them that made me happy. That kind of happiness is not
momentary; it stays with you for a long time, and hopefully with the people you
impacted as well.